x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality

While religion and science often seem at odds, there’s one thing they can agree on: people who take part in spiritual practices tend to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The big question is: Why? In How God Works, professor Dave DeSteno takes us on a journey to find out how spirituality impacts our minds and bodies, as well as the world in which we live.He speaks to leading scientists and philosophers, religious thinkers, and thought leaders to explore what we can learn from the

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

35:46

How to be a Great Ancestor

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2023/02/05

What do we owe future humans? In principle, it seems obvious that we should do what we can to make life better for the generations that follow, just as our ancestors did for us. But while most of us agree that doing this is the right thing, it can be hard to put into practice while also avoiding some of the pitfalls that often afflict growing philosophies like effective altruism and longtermism. Join Dave as he speaks to Harvard psychologist and philosopher Joshua Greene about what drives

en-us

34:27

Grief: Moving Through Loss (2022)

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2023/01/22

Sooner or later, most of us experience grief from losing someone we love. It’s always painful, and sometimes even debilitating. But there is plenty we can do to help ourselves and others be resilient. Join Dave as he talks with Columbia University psychologist George Bonanno and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl about ways to promote a healthy mourning process and find a path back to life. George Bonnano’s book The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After

en-us

01:23:12

Uniter or Divider? Explore Religion in Modern...

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2023/01/08

If you ask people what they think about religion, you often get one of two answers: Religion is the source of war, violence, abuse, and hypocrisy OR a route to love, kindness, tolerance, and mercy. Put another way, it’s either what divides us or it’s the thing that can actually bring us together. In a country deeply divided over social, political, and moral issues that seems to be moving further apart by the day, the answer’s not likely to be a simple one. How God Works held its first live

en-us

39:08

A Holiday from Tech Addiction

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/12/25

Time with family, friends and loved ones is supposed to be at the center of the holiday season… but in our screen-dominated world, how many of us can say that’s still true? Our devices are purposefully designed to monopolize our attention and make themselves hard to put down. So even though we know that spending too much time staring at screens is bad for us, the addiction can be hard to break. With the New Year almost upon us, why not try to make a new start? Join Dave as he tries to put

en-us

32:51

How to Forgive

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/12/11

‘Tis the season for giving and…forgiving. But while forgiveness is something to which we often aspire, it can be harder than it seems at times. It's human to feel the tension between the urge for revenge and the intent to forgive, especially when the hurt or betrayal is great. That tension shows up in many religions too, though forgiveness usually wins. But it’s not just a religious ideal, it’s also a biological necessity. We’ll talk to evolutionary psychologist Michael McCullough about

en-us

01:04

How God Works Live Event!

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/12/04

Join us for the very first How God Works live event this Wednesday, December 7th at 7:30pm, at The Greene Space in New York. For tickets and more information, click here. If you can’t make it in person, not to worry, we’ll be livestreaming the event here.

en-us

35:39

How to Fix Work

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/11/27

Work is becoming a “religion” for many people these days. It’s worship of the efficient, productive, and almighty dollar. But that doesn’t make people very happy. And organizations filled with miserable employees aren’t ideal for making the world a better place either. Can anything be done to fix it? We’ll talk to Sacred Design Lab co-founder Angie Thurston about how to make workplaces more spiritually nourishing, and to theologian and consultant Curtis Chang about what it means to align

en-us

35:34

Religion and Robots and AI…Oh My!

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/11/13

Can you pray with a robot? Will people worship AI like a god? It's not science fiction. It's starting to happen now. But what does it mean if robots become priests, or AIs start offering ethical advice? And how do we know when to trust them? We’ll talk to MIT social roboticist Cynthia Breazeal about how technology can manipulate our minds and emotions for good or ill, and with religion professor Robert Geraci about how technology is being used in religion, and why AI may need some

en-us

37:25

Making God Real

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/10/30

Have you ever heard a voice, seen an image, or felt a presence around you that you couldn’t explain? If you have, you’re not alone. More people than you might think report having these kinds of experiences. For some, it can be easy to write these off as tricks of the mind. But for others, especially the religious and spiritually-inclined, these events are often transformative and can profoundly alter the way they feel about their faith. So how is it that gods come to feel real to people

en-us

01:03

How God Works Live Event!

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/10/23

Join us for the very first How God Works live event on Wednesday, December 7 at The Greene Space in New York. For tickets and more information, click here. If you can’t make it in person, not to worry: we’ll be livestreaming the event too.

en-us

37:43

Is Burning Man a Party or a Pilgrimage?

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/10/16

Every year, thousands of people head to Nevada's Black Rock Desert for a week at Burning Man. And while from the outside, it might seem like a place for partying, drugs, and debauchery, to many, it offers something deeper, even life changing. We’ll ask neuroscientist Molly Crockett and Episcopal minister Alex Leach, both burners themselves: Is Burning Man a new type of spiritual gathering? How and why does it deeply move people? And should more traditional faiths aim to have a bit more

en-us

01:32

Season Three Trailer

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/10/02

How God Works will be back with Season 3 starting October 16th! This season we’ll continue to explore some of life’s deepest questions through science and spirituality. But we’ll also have another big question in mind - What comes next?

en-us

32:56

Death: Embracing the Last Transition

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/05/22

As a society that fears death, we tend to avoid the subject. But the key to having a positive end-of-life experience might come in doing just the opposite. On this episode, we’ll hear from philosopher Simon Critchley, Boston-area chaplains Ruth Delfiner, Sarah Byrne-Martelli, and Maude Quinn, and Threshold Choir singer Leigh Davis about what makes a good death, and the many rituals, spiritual or secular, that ease our transition out of this world. Simon Critchley is the author of many

en-us

31:37

Grief: Moving Through Loss

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/05/08

Sooner or later, most of us experience grief from losing someone we love. It’s always painful, and sometimes even debilitating. But there is plenty we can do to help ourselves and others be resilient. Join Dave as he talks with Columbia University psychologist George Bonanno and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl about ways to promote a healthy mourning process and find a path back to life. George Bonnano’s book The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life After

en-us

35:51

Midlife: Leaning Into the Change

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/04/24

Data shows that for many people, happiness takes a big dip around 50. But aging doesn’t have to be a crisis if we can figure out how to embrace who we’re becoming rather than hanging on to who we used to be. If done right, midlife can actually be a time of deepening joy and satisfaction. Join Dave as he talks to The Atlantic columnist Arthur C. Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, head of Boston’s Vedanta Society, about how to move into the second half of our life with grace. To find out more

en-us

30:44

Relationships and Marriage (Part 2): Keeping the Fire...

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/04/10

To hear Hollywood tell it, good sex is a clothes-ripping race to the finish line, often between people who barely know each other. But the version we’re getting from movies and pop culture isn’t what it takes to build real intimacy, trust, and connection in the long term. On this episode, we’ll talk to Rachel Alba, a clinical sexologist with a master’s in theology, about the connection between sex and spirituality, and why exploring that link may be key to developing a deeper, more

en-us

26:07

Relationships and Marriage (Part 1): Finding the...

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/03/27

The definition of a “good” marriage has changed drastically over time and today it seems our expectations for our partner are higher than ever. We want a best friend, intellectual equal, lover, and for many, a sensational co-parent who can also touch our soul. Which is a lot of pressure to put on one person! On this episode we'll talk to psychologist Eli Finkel, author of The All or Nothing Marriage, about the history, workings, and complications of wedded bliss. We’ll also hear about why

en-us

34:44

Adolescence: How to Build an Adult

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/03/13

When you're a teenager, you're kind of between two worlds. You're leaving the comforts and carefree days of childhood behind and stepping into the challenges and responsibilities adulthood brings. But when exactly should you make that change? And, more importantly, how can rites-of-passage help? Join Dave as he talks with psychologist Leah Somerville and religion scholar Connor Wood to explore the adolescent mind and how rituals can help it learn to “adult.” For more on Leah Somerville’s

en-us

35:12

Childhood: Growing the Moral Muscle

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/02/27

Do children need religion to grow into ethical, caring adults? Sixty-five percent of Americans think so, but the relationship between religion and morality is a nuanced one. Join Dave as he talks with psychologist Larisa Heiphetz and Unitarian Universalist minister Leonisa Ardizzone to explore how kids’ beliefs about God and participation in rituals – spiritual and secular – can shape their growing sense of right and wrong. For more on Larisa Heiphetz’s work, click here or check out the

en-us

31:13

Birth: Getting Off to Good Start

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2022/02/13

For all the joys a new child brings, it can also be a trying time filled with stresses, worries, and for some, depression. Long before new parents turned to books and blogs for advice, they turned to traditional practices and community for support. Join Dave as he speaks with neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett and psychologist Andi Clements to explore how religious practices big and small can help parents bond with their babies, reduce their stress, and even ward off postpartum depression,

en-us

110 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger